Wave-motor.



F.. M. NELSON.

WAVE. MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY20,1911.

Patented Feb. 27,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. M. NELSON.

WAVE MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY20,1911.

Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

-. to holdthe device from .moving with water citizen of theiU-nitechStates, residingfi'at \Vestville,iri the county of-Adair andStateof Oklahoma,have ful \VaveMotor,

is a specification.

invented a new and useof which the following '-Thi s invention hasEret'erence to improvements 1n weave. motors, and its l)]80t1 is to inthe powerisider poses solely-"from the-up and. down moveprovide'astructure: of this character whereived to 'all practical pur;

inthe form of waves.

where the devicejis -so";generated? is -;tra nsformed by suitable toberesponsive to the installed, and the power mechanism. into other*gto'rms of energy caipable-of.transmiss onato. a point of ut1l1za- Inaccordancepresent invention .the floats employed are connected togetherflexibly, so as to respond readily to the rise and fall of waves,

but have no connection with any fixed structures further than wherenecessary one-or more anchors are employed or air currents.v Tli e riseand fall of the floats are utilized b bers to store energy asby thepumping of ings is largel to show any, merit of the 's,r'and,'therefore, the inventeeny strict oonfo'rin'ity r established in theta'nkl :While notso shown,

so' long as thelcliangesfdo not mark a dbalte'nt'features of the in iaccumulatingwithinthe tank. It will also with the show Pa i oe ljlthjeair or water y means of rocking memfor the drivlng of engines,

which in turn are caused to actuate dynamos and the current-generated bythe latter may be carried to any point of utilization,

such

as an adjacent shore to be from there dis tributed to various pointswhere needed.

The invention .will'be best understood from a considerationot, thefollowing detailed description, tak n 'in connection with f theaccompanying draw p .th fsrel lfi a ing', however,ft h:

tion is not lim v'ention. 1 i

ings forming apart on with the understand:

showing of 'the draw indicative without attempt proportions or arrangepof 'the drawings, butft-iay be varied and modified in numerous' ways,

, agure is .aimore-or lessi-dia-grammatic? VIQME withisome parts insections showing angrarrangement embodying the present invention 'in'onephase of operation. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showinganother 'phase of operation. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structureshown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view on a smaller scale thanthe other figures,- showing an arrangement wherein more than threefloats may be utilized.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a float 1, which in practiceis of suflicient size for the purpose, and this float is accompanied byother floats 2, 3, respectively, where but threeflo'ats are employed,and wheremore than three floats are employed other floats may beincluded, and in Fig. 4 a float tis shown as installed betweenthe floatl and the float 3. These examples are sufli'cient to illustratethe-invention and to show how four or morefloats may be employed insteadof three.

In-the construction shown, the float 1, which may be in the form of abarge or other sufficiently bulky vessel to sustain the necessarymachinery, has mounted thereon a tank 5 and pumps 6, the number of pumpsdepending upon the size of the installation. Sincethe pumps are allalike, a description of a single pump and its action will be suflicient.Each pump 6 is shown as a doubleacting pump, although this is notmandatory, and is provided with an intake pipe 7 which may be soarranged as to dip into the water sustaining the float to a depthinsuring the intake end of the pipe as being always covered. Thedelivery side of the pump is connected by a pipe 8 to the tank 5. Eachpump has a piston rod 9 connected to a slideflO, and this slide isconnected by a pitman 11 to an actuator to be described,- theconstructionbeing such that the floats rise and fall the piston rodreciprocated and' thepumpf will draw water from the supporting bodyfo fwater and deliver'j the comes compressed until. a desired pressure itwill be understood, of course, that suitable "devices, such as stayblow-ofl's and the "like, are provided-to prevent undue pressure .gllw

.. bi understood that. a; single tank of .jtanks' may be em-' loyed, orthe sing e tank may be relatively" is shown, a batte the water in thetank ma be utilized to drive either' or both. turb nes, as desired.-

1 The turbines are shown as directly connected to dynamos 1'5, andthedelivery side of these dynamos may be'connected to conductors in theform of a cable 16 which may be carried to the shore wherefrom currentmay be distributed to any point of utilization. The

cables may, of course, be carried to the shore in any way desirable. v

In the drawings, and especially in Fig. 3, the float land the float 3are shown as of about the same length, while the float 2 is shorter thanthe float 1, and there is a companion float 2 -separat'e from the float2 and together approaching the length of the float 1. This is simplyillustrative of diflerent'means whereby the purposes of the present'invention may be accomplished and indicate some of t e manymodifications: of which the invention is susceptible.

The, floats 2 and 3 are'joined together to the float l by connectors 17which may be crossed to maintain the general relative positions of thefloats and prevent side movement, but these connectors are so disposedthat the up and, down movements of the floats are not interfered with.

Each float 2 and 3 carries one or more connecting rods or bars 18connected at. one

i .end by a 1omt 19 to the float preferably at a middle oint thereof,andat the other end the bar is connected by a flexible link 20 to thecorresponding end of a-beam 21 on the float 1, these connections beingsuch as to r permit the free rise and fall of the floats to accommodatethe action of the waves without the floats changing their generalrelation other than by r se and fall.

At one end ofeii ch rod 18 there is an upstanding post 22 and the upperend of this post is connected by a brace 23 continued toward the end ofthe rod carried by the joint 19. The end of the post 22 to which thebrace-23 is connected is in turn connected 60. to a. respective pitman11 leading to a ump 6.

.Each float 2, 2 and 3 is shown as provided with two bars 18 and eachbar is connected to a'respective pump on the float 1. To hold 55 thefloats 2 and 2' 1n proper relation one to turbines, so that pumps 6controlledby the connected up to the tank 5 )y flexhle concessiverocking t links 24 jointed to the respective floats, so as to permitindependent movement of these floats for limited distances.

In the particular showing of the drawings the float 3 is provided with amast 25 carryinga sail 26,v this mast being supported against the stressf the sail by braces 27. The ends of the bar-s18 where mounted on thefloats 2 and 2" are connected by chains 28 or other suitable flexiblemeans to a buoy ,29, and the latter is connected by a ehain 30 to ananchoring means which may con sist of an or inary anchrr, but suchanchor is not shown in'ihe drawings. Since the waves follow the generalcourse of the wind, the sail 26 will constrain t'-e series of floats toline up with the wind with the buoy 29 to the windward, thus maintainingthe floats in roper relation to the waves.

11 'the' arrangement shown in Fig. 4 pumps 6 maybe mounted on the bars18 collecting the float {l with the float 1, and these pumps arecontrolled by the bars 18 connected to the float 3. It wiil beunderstood that. in this instance the pump or float 3 will he nectionspermitting-the float 4- and the pa rs carried thereby to'rise and fallwin. respect to the float 1 under the action-of the waves. Should anunusually heavy wave strike the windward float 2 or 2, there. is apossibility of the float rocking excessively, since the bars 18 arepivoted to an intermediate; point on the floats, allowing the latter-torock under the action of the waves while rising and falling. To preventsuch excessive movement there are provided connections 31 in the form ofchains or other suitable flexible means which will permit moderaterocking of'the floats without exliereof, and the floats 3 and 4 may belikewise provided with chains 31. It will be observed that the powerstoring and utilizing machinery is carried mainly on thc float 1 whichis an intermediate float, and is made large enough for the purpose,

and also to provide room for attendants,

wherefore it may be provided with a deck house 32, as indicated in Fig.1.

By employing a large floatlin connection with a smaller float andutilizing the large float for'the carrying of the storing and powertransforming machinery, the large float while rising'and falling withthe rise and fall of the water. in the waves does not rock on the wavesas do the smaller floats, but the rocking movements of thesmaller floatsare not utilized, since these floats may quite readily. rock on an axistransverse to the direction of movementv of the waves, so that it isonly the rising and falling movement of these smaller floats which isutilized.

the other, the are secured together at adjacent ends in spaced relationby spacing It because of the practicailv unchanging posite sidesof themain float, said auxiliary ,positiol ;t the intermediate float exceptvfloats being connected to the main float by s Iw-QQCI azll'iand t'h'eflexibility of the bars hinged-,atj-the ends to the respectiveotlie rfloa'tshigherehy tn las the rise and fall floats, and connectionsbetweensaid. bars thereof trlized thatsthe; full force due andthepressureproducing,meansioni the Y -11 .material-nloss due to anytipping; 0f ,the flloats. whereby they are brought. into E more :or-less -fconformity even I thoughfjrising, andinfalling-won the. waves.,Therockingiof;theifloatslhas only a neg- 1igible-,=,efl3 acitqufiudi,ineutralizing the rise dfrr'. 8H i of; lfijfioatszt orntheigeneration of powers at .sdqi-rba fin? ,dii?

Qfi c0urse,itlre'pumpsquay.deliver directly to the turbinesaialthou lfld'ifail' bell is customarily vincofipolated ant the transmissi online,;-a ndz 'nthe .particula1t=instance shownthe tank5eonstitutesran-air bell, but this tank may be of suchsize-as. to act asa stor-' age tank whena greatcramount of water is supplied by the pumpsthan is being utilized .at the turbines. wl1erefore=-.tl1'e pressure-inthe tank may rise and this pressure may be utilized for driving theturbines when the e sis-ti e milea e-res at d than 1. m and by makingthe parts of suflicient capacity the tank 5 may'store enough surpluspower to drive the turbines for a considerable time titling over timesof small power supplied by the waves, the tank being replenished whenthe waves are of greater. size, at which times, or when the waves are ofnormal size, the turbines may run constantly without depleting thestorage tanks.

What is claimed is 1. In a wave motor, a main'float, other floatsadjacent the main float and of smaller size than the main float,connecting mem bers between the smaller floats and the main float, andflexibly joined to each, and power means on the main float joined to theconnectin g members between the floats for actuation thereby.

2. In a wave motor, a plurality of floats, connecting members betweenthe floats hinged at each end to a respective float and provided with alateral offset portion, a pump carried by one of the floats, and aconnection between the pump and the lateral ofl'set member of therespective connecting "on the main floa-t, and-auxiliar v floats onopbars hinged-watthe ends to the respective an intermediate point. ofthe corresponding aux1haryfloat,-and power generating means the said-bars..

7. In a wave motor, a main float, power storing means on the mainfloat,powcr utilizing means on the main float, auxiliary floats onopposite sides of the main float, connections between the auxiliaryfloats and the power storing means for actuating the latter, means foranchoring one end of the series of floats, am. a wind responsive meanscarried by a -series of floats remote from the anchoring means.

8.. In a wave motor. a main float, power generating and utilizing meansthereon, auxiliary floats ofv smaller size than the main ing theauxiliary floats at intermediate points of said floats to the mainfloat. at the corresponding sides thereof, said bars being pivot-allyconnected at the ends to the respective main and auxiliary floats andeach bar having a lateral oflset portion, and connections from theoffset portion to the power generating means on the main floatfordriving the latter.

'9. In a Wave motor, a main float, power enerating and utilizing meansthereon, auxiliary floats of smaller size than the main float onopposite sides thereof, bars connecting the auxiliary floats atintermediate points of said floats to the main float at thecorresponding sides thereof, said bars being pivotally connected at theends to the respectii'e main and auxiliary floats and each bar having alateral offset portion, and c0nnections from the offset portion to thepower generating means on the main floatfor driving the latter, theseries of floats being providd at one end with anchoring means andmember between the floats.

3. In a wave motor, a main. float, other floats on opposite sides of themain float and spaced therefrom. connecting members between the floatshinged at the ends to the respective floats, and power means on the mainfloat'connected toand receivingv motion from the respective connectingmembers between the floats.

4. In a wave motor, a main float provided with power generating meansresponsive to pressure and pressure producing means also on. the mainfloat, and auxiliary floats on op- "With D g ura-ting-gmeans-responsireto? pressure a nd' -px essure. pro ducm g mea ns-ialso float on oppositesides thereof, bars conuectpositesides of the main float, said auxiliaryfloats belng connected to, the mam float by floats'and connectionsbetween said barsand the pressure; prgduclnginean. of-the. ma1n-'float-and auxiliary floats, eachbar being plvotally connected to acorrespondlngsid'e of. the mam float and atthe other end with'wind'responsive means for holding the series of floats in operative relationto'the progression of the waves.

10. In'a' wave motor, a main float provided .the other end to thecorresponding side of the main float,,each bar having a lateral offset,and a pitman connection between the offset of the respective bar and arespective one of vthe pumps for the actuation of the pump by therelative rise and fall of the auxiliary and main floats. t

11. In a wave motor, a main float provided with pumps, storage meansinto which the pumps discharge, pressure responsive means connected tothe storage means, and electric generators connected to thepressure-respon- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive centseach, by addressing the Gommisslon'erjof iite ntsi h i v Washington, D.(3.1 v I sive means for actuation thereby, auxiliary floats on oppositesides of the. main float bars each pivoted at one end to a middle porjtion of a respectiveauxiliary float and atthe other end-to the corresending side of the maingfioat, each bar havmg a lateral bit- 'c set, anda pltman connection between the ofi- I set of the respective bar and arespective one of the pumps for the actuation of the u'mp by therelativerise and fall of the auxiliary and main floats, the series offloatswbeingjat provided at one end wlth anchonngmeaiis',

yieldable to the rise and fall of t-h eflo ats and: j at the other endwith a saileadapted to, hold? the series of floats in propervrelatioirfolfthge,"

progressive movement of the waves. 40 In testimony that I claim theforegoing a's' my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: Y

Gno. W. NELSON, U,F. NELSON.

FRANCIS MARION N LSON;

